In the times that try men’s souls, sometimes the best thing we can do is stand athwart the zeitgeist and offer a principled dissent.
This is a short post by the editor, taken from a segment of the July 9th issue of the From the Hawk’s Next newsletter.
I have a unique perspective that often places me in peculiar and unenviable positions. In a presidential election that’s consuming the passions and time of most politically engaged Americans, I have staked out a stance against both political parties. And, I have no viable candidate to throw my weight behind.
But perhaps this is a blessing rather than a curse. This unique circumstance has afforded me the ability to better see the problem our nation faces as more than a question to be settled at the polls.
Multiple generations of Americans have now come of age in a republic that has significantly deviated from its founding principles. My acute sense of political homelessness has allowed me to better understand that we are far from righting the ship through a single election. The path towards truly saving our republic is one of political renewal and principled revival.
So, instead of lending my modest influence towards the political contests of this election season, I will do my best to stand athwart the partisan squalor and offer my principled dissent.
I offer this dissent understanding it may be a long time before it is reevaluated and reconsidered. I offer this dissent, knowing that it may never become the majority’s opinion or even influence aspects of the majority’s opinion. But I must offer it nevertheless. Every day, I witness the path my country is taking and the calamity this path will lead them to. I would be ashamed if I didn’t speak my mind and offer a warning to a nation and people I love more than life itself.
To those who similarly feel lost and confused in this time of upheaval and uncertainty, I encourage you to look to your own convictions and find purpose in the truths you hold in your heart. You don’t need a party, a movement, or a candidate to have meaning and relevancy. Speak out on the strength of your convictions and offer a powerful dissent, no matter how unpopular, that will stand as a monument to your values and principles, a monument far more powerful than anything won or lost at the ballot box could ever be.
This was only a sampling of the uniquely independent perspective Justin Stapley brings to the table. Be sure to subscribe to his newsletter to get his independent voice in your inbox:
